Lions ink Figueroa, Lewis; Ticats ink Hajrullahu as CFL free agency opens
The British Columbia Lions beefed up their offensive line with the signing of Americans Joel Figueroa and Jeremy Lewis as the free agent market opened Tuesday in the Canadian Football League.
Figueroa, who played 15 games for the Edmonton Eskimos last season, and Lewis, who spent last season with the Montreal Alouettes, both inked one-year contracts. B.C. allowed a CFL-high 49 sacks last season.
Among other early deals, The Edmonton Eskimos grabbed defensive lineman Alex Bazzie from B.C. on a two-year contract; the Winnipeg Blue Bombers inked Canadian receiver Nic Demski from Saskatchewan and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats picked up national kicker Lirim Hajrullahu from the Toronto Argonauts.
Some big names signed just in time to stay out of the free agent market, including Hamilton defensive tackle Ted Laurent, who agreed to a two-year extension, and Calgary Stampeders all-star kick returner Roy Finch. Veteran quarterback Travis Lulay had inked a new deal with B.C. on Monday.